Question Time
by aurghhh
Summary: Hanna drops in on Paige for a visit, and wants to get to know her better. (Panna friendship)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Both Emily and Caleb are Out Of Town, so Hanna drops in on Paige to keep her company. I wrote this a while back because I wanted to do a friendship story with the two of them. I'm calling this Paily, despite the fact that chapter one has no actual Emily, because it does have lots of talk about Paily. Anyway, Emily turns up in chapter two. This is one of my most spontaneous fics, each chapter written in a single session with no planning beforehand. It's also one of my favourites. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

><p>"This place is really nice," Hanna said, and from the look on her face Paige could tell she meant it.<p>

"Um, thanks," Paige replied.

They were standing in the McCullers living room, having just completed a brief tour of the house.

Hanna looked around again and noticed the trophy cabinet. She made a beeline for it, admiring the trophies on display.

"Are these all yours?" she asked.

"The older ones are my mother's," Paige answered. "She was a swimmer when she was younger."

"So that's where you get it from," Hanna said.

"Yes, I suppose so," Paige said.

"Do you polish them to keep them shiny?" Hanna asked.

"Not really," said Paige. "Mom just dusts them."

Hanna stood for a moment longer, looking at the various trophies.

"Did you want a drink?" Paige asked. "We've only got water or juice, sorry. We don't have sweet drinks in the house."

"That's OK," Hanna responded. "That was me for a while, until I got over it. I guess I'm lucky I'm not an athlete."

Paige hesitated. She wasn't sure if that was a yes.

"Water is fine," Hanna added.

Paige went to get a glass of water and Hanna followed her into the kitchen.

"So which of you is faster?" Hanna asked.

Paige was confused.

"Which? Who?" was all she could say.

"You and Em," Hanna explained. "Which of you is the faster swimmer?"

"Emily," Paige answered.

Hanna chuckled a little.

"She _is_," Paige added, not sure what was funny.

"She says you are," Hanna said. "I bet you two are like that with everything. 'You're the best.' 'No, you're the best.'"

Paige didn't know what to say.

"Hey it's OK," said Hanna. "It's cute."

Paige realised she had been staring. She looked down.

"You do though, don't you?" Hanna added.

Paige smiled.

"It's a little like that," she said, because she knew it was true.

They went back into the living room and sat down.

"Do you miss your girl?" asked Hanna.

Paige looked down. _You're doing it again McCullers_, she thought and looked back up at Hanna, who was grinning at her.

"Yeah," Paige admitted. "She's only away for the weekend, but, you know, it's Friday night."

"I bet you'd normally be cuddling up together by now," Hanna suggested.

"Um…" Paige began.

"Come on, you would," insisted Hanna. "You two are so adorable together."

There was an awkward pause before Paige decided on a new strategy.

"So are you missing Caleb?" she asked.

Hanna scrunched her face up for a moment.

"Yes and no," she replied. "So anyway, what would you be doing now?"

Paige could see Hanna was keen to keep asking the questions. This might be a long night.

"I don't know," Paige replied. "Hanging out. Talking. Watching TV…"

"Snuggling," suggested Hanna.

"OK, snuggling," Paige agreed.

Hanna was grinning again, excited to get this admission out of Paige.

"What do you love about Emily?" Hanna asked.

Paige had to think for a moment. That was a very broad question, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to answer it.

No, she had to. She wanted to get closer to Emily's friends, and she knew this was what was required for Hanna.

"I love her caring nature," Paige began. "Her generosity. I love the way she always looks for the best in people, and always wants to help."

"And you think she's hot, right?" Hanna suggested.

_Keep going McCullers_, Paige thought. _You can do this._

"She's beautiful," Paige agreed.

"Boobs or butt?" asked Hanna.

"Both," Paige replied before she could even catch herself. She realized she was smiling now. Probably blushing as well, but definitely smiling.

"And her face," Paige added.

"Keep going," Hanna said.

"And her hair," Paige said.

"Absolutely," agreed Hanna. "Em's got the best hair."

Hanna looked so happy now. She looked… proud. Proud to have got this out of Paige. Paige was embarrassed, but she knew this was what Hanna wanted.

"You do know you've got the best looking girl in Rosewood, don't you?" asked Hanna.

Paige just nodded.

"When did you fall in love with her?" Hanna asked.

"A long time ago," Paige answered.

"How long?" Hanna asked.

"I'm not even sure," Paige said, which was true. "It was before… everything."

"Wait," Hanna said, and Paige could see her mind making connections. "Was Emily your first love?"

"First and only," Paige replied.

"Wow," Hanna said.

Hanna's face went slack as the words sank in.

'So for all this time…" Hanna began.

"Yes," said Paige.

"Wow," Hanna said again.

Hanna was still absorbing the news. Paige didn't say anything. But then Hanna clicked back into action.

"So you two were both on the swim team, right?" Hana asked.

"Yes," replied Paige tentatively, not sure where this was going.

"So all that time you were together in the change rooms," Hanna continued. "Did you ever sneak a peak?"

Paige looked down again, and this time she didn't care. She was not answering that.

"You're blushing," Hanna observed.

Paige looked in every direction except Hanna.

"I'm sorry," Hanna said. "OK, here's another one. Who made the first move?"

This was hardly any less embarrassing.

"I did," Paige said.

"Really?" Hanna asked.

"Yes," Paige replied.

"I would have thought it would be Emily," Hanna said.

"No," said Paige.

"So…" Hanna said.

"So?" replied Paige.

"What did you do?" Hanna asked. "Something romantic?"

_Emily really hasn't told anyone_, Paige thought. She felt almost relieved, except she couldn't think of a way to avoid undoing all that good work.

"I kissed her," Paige finally replied.

"Just like that?" Hanna asked.

"Just like that," Paige confirmed.

"I didn't know you were so bold," Hanna said, sounding genuinely impressed.

"It wasn't bold, it was… impulsive," Paige said.

"This is amazing," Hanna said. "Come on, tell me more."

"Hanna…" Paige began, then paused. She didn't know what to say. Again.

"It's OK, Paige," Hanna said. "It's romantic."

"Hanna," Paige began again. "I know you're just happy for us, and it's really sweet, it is. But I wasn't the same person back then. I wasn't romantic, I was a mess. It makes me cringe just to think about it."

"You got the girl of your dreams, Paige," Hanna pointed out.

"I was lucky," replied Paige. "The girl of my dreams turned out to be so understanding that she still gave me a chance after everything I did."

"You're not still worried about that head-dunk thing, are you?" Hanna asked.

_Oh God, she knows._

Paige drew breath.

"That's part of it," Paige replied.

"Hey, don't beat up on yourself," Hanna said. "We've all done stuff. I slapped a blind girl once."

Paige just stared. Hanna had said it so chirpily.

"I mean, it really doesn't…" Hanna began.

"Jenna?" Paige asked, interrupting.

"Yeah," Hanna replied. "She'd been paying Caleb to spy on me but then we kind of fell for each other, which totally wasn't his fault, but I, you know, lost my V card with him so when I found out…"

"What?" asked Paige.

"It was OK," Hanna assured her. "I mean I was really pissed at Caleb but we talked about it after Lucas brought him back from Arizona and we were cool."

"What?" asked Paige again. She wasn't processing this.

"Look," said Hanna. "All I'm saying is that all of us have done stuff. All of us. I could tell you stories about Aria and Spencer too. Actually…"

"No," said Paige. "No thank you."

"I suppose not," Hanna said. "But the point is…"

She stopped and looked confused for a moment.

"Um," Hanna continued. "Something. We've all done stuff, anyway."

"Thanks," Paige said.

"So," Hanna continued, "is Em a good kisser?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Paige's friends Caitlin, Chelsea and Brian are my take on the three anonymous characters in 4x11. Like I said, this was written a while ago, before all the Shana stuff. So for the references to her in particular, you could say it splits from cannon after 4x12.

* * *

><p>"So," Hanna continued, "is Em a good kisser?"<p>

Paige knew this wasn't going to stop.

"The best girl I've kissed," Paige replied.

As soon as she said it she knew she had fallen into a trap.

"So how many girls have you kissed?" Hanna asked, sounding keen to find out.

"Just two," Paige said.

"Emily and Shana, right?" Hanna asked.

"Yes," Paige confirmed.

"How did you and Shana get together?" Hanna asked.

"We met at a party after a swim meet," Paige explained. "She introduced herself, we started talking and it just kind of went from there."

"Did she know you were gay?" Hanna asked.

"I doubt it," Paige replied. "I think she just keeps trying until she finds someone. She's very brave. She'll try it with anyone."

"Except me," Hanna observed.

Paige laughed now.

"What's funny?" asked Hanna.

"Would you be interested if she did?" Paige asked.

"No," Hanna replied. "I just don't see why I'm not worth it."

Hanna was pouting a little now.

"You are, Hanna," Paige said. "And trust me, you're not missing out."

Hanna cheered up a little and resumed her questioning.

"How many boys have you kissed?" she asked.

Paige paused for a moment, thinking.

"Two, I suppose," she said. "That's if you count Kevin Reynolds in seventh grade, but that wasn't really much of a kiss."

"The other was Sean, right?" Hanna asked.

"Yes," confirmed Paige. "Just the once."

"Hey, we're spit sisters!" Hanna said.

"What?" Paige asked.

"We've both kissed the same guy," Hanna explained. "Sort of."

"Sort of," Paige agreed.

Just then Paige's phone alerted her to a message.

"You need some company? -Caitlin" it read.

"Who is it?" Hanna asked.

"A friend of mine, Caitlin," Paige replied. "The others were thinking of coming over."

Hanna looked suddenly excited.

"Yes! Tell them to come over," she said. "That would be so cool."

"OK…" Paige said.

* * *

><p>"So how did you guys meet?" Hanna asked.<p>

"Paige had a skateboard," Caitlin said.

"You skate?" Hanna asked.

"A little," Paige said.

"This was sixth grade though, so that was pretty cool," Caitlin said.

"Oh yeah, I was like… a mysterious rebel," Paige added in a dramatic voice.

"Cait and I saw her at the skate park and asked her about it," Brian explained.

"And I told them everything about my board until their eyes glazed over," Paige said. "So much for cool."

"It was great," Brian said. "She was so enthusiastic."

"And after that we just started hanging out," Caitlin said.

"What was she like then?" Hanna asked.

"Shy until you got to know her," Caitlin said.

"Really caring," added Chelsea. "Like, always worried about other people."

"You don't have to sugar-coat things, guys," Paige said. "Hanna knows my history."

"OK, she had a bit of a temper at times," Brian said. "But that wasn't all of who she was."

"And it got worse because of Alison," Chelsea added.

Paige winced. She quickly looked over to Hanna, but there was no obvious reaction.

"Did you know Paige was gay?" Hanna asked. "You know, before she told you."

"Is this OK?" Chelsea asked Paige.

Paige nodded.

"Not really," Chelsea said. "She kept it pretty well hidden."

"Sometimes I used to pretend to be really anti-gay," Paige said. "I thought that would fool everyone. The sad thing is, I believed a lot of it."

"One time she said something about somebody and I gave her this big long speech about respect and equality," Chelsea said. "A little ironic in retrospect."

"Everything you said was true though," Paige said. "And I know it took a while, but knowing you thought that made it easier for me later."

"So are any of you guys gay?" Hanna asked, cheerily.

They all instinctively looked over to Brian.

"Me apparently," he said. "Well, bi rather than gay."

"Cool," said Hanna. "Are any of you swimmers?"

Paige wondered how Hanna's mind had gone from the previous question to this one. Things they might have in common, presumably.

"No," said Chelsea, the others shaking their heads in agreement.

"Do any of you skate?" Hanna asked.

"I tried," Caitlin said. "I just fell over a lot."

"You almost had it," Paige said.

"Almost had major injuries," Caitlin said.

"OK," said Hanna, enjoying this. "What's something really embarrassing Paige has done?"

"Oh no," said Paige, covering her face with her hands.

"There was the time she walked into the glass panel at the mall," Brian suggested.

"She thought it was the door," Chelsea explained.

Paige took her hands away.

"I was bleeding," she said. "And you were all too busy laughing to help."

"We did help… eventually," Brian protested.

"_And you were still laughing_," Paige replied.

"Or the time she went into the boys' change rooms after the swim meet," Caitlin said.

"The sign wasn't clear," Paige said, defensively.

"One time she was skating and she went too hard up the ramp, went over the other side and landed face first in the mud," Chelsea said.

"She only asked for one embarrassing story," Paige reminded them.

"No, no," Hanna said. "Keep going."

"How about when she answered the door…" Caitlin began.

"No," Paige interrupted.

"Ooh, what is it?" asked Hanna excitedly.

"No," Paige repeated.

Caitlin looked at her pleadingly.

"Come on," she said. "It's cute."

"Cute?" Paige responded.

"It is," Caitlin said, rubbing Paige's arm reassuringly.

"OK," Paige said, grudgingly. "Go ahead."

"She… you had been having a shower right?" Caitlin began.

"Yes," Paige confirmed.

"And she was expecting me to come around," Caitlin continued.

"And you were late," Paige added.

"And I was late," Caitlin agreed. "So she hears this knock on the door."

"I thought it was her," Paige explained. "I was still drying myself and no one else was home but I thought 'Probably Caitlin' so I just wrapped a towel around me and went to the door."

"And forgot to check," Caitlin said.

"Because I thought it was you," Paige added.

"And of course it was the Jehovah's Witnesses," Caitlin said.

"I opened the door and they were standing there," Paige said. "I was stunned and just stared at them. Then one of them said 'I'm sorry, is this a bad time?' and I just said 'Yes. Yes it is.'."

"And then I turned up," Caitlin said.

"Just before they left," Paige added. "And what did you say?"

"I said 'Hey babe'," Caitlin replied.

"And then…" Paige prompted.

"And then I kissed her," Caitlin said. "Just a quick peck."

"On the lips though," Paige added. "My parents knew these people. I almost came out three years earlier."

Hanna was laughing now.

"What did they do?" she asked.

"They kind of ran," Paige replied.

"Sorry babe," Caitlin said, grinning.

"You don't look it," Paige pointed out.

Hanna was laughing harder now, and clapping.

"That's so cool," she said. "Did you drop the towel?"

"Of course I didn't drop the towel," Paige replied.

"You should have dropped the towel," Hanna insisted.

"Next time," Chelsea suggested.

"You can if you want," replied Paige.

"I bet they remembered that visit," Hanna said.

"I know I did," said Paige.

* * *

><p>"I hear you had a good time with Hanna," Emily said.<p>

"I think it went OK," Paige replied. "She's very… direct."

"She said she had a fantastic night, that the two of you are now 'best buddies' and that your friends are 'really cool'," Emily assured her.

"She seemed to enjoy herself," Paige said.

"She did," Emily said. "She really likes you."

"Now it's just Spencer I'm scared of," Paige said.

"You don't have to be scared of Spencer," Emily replied. "Well, any more than the rest of us. Anyway, we're all going out next weekend and you're invited, but this time I'll be there."

"Thanks, Em," Paige said.

Emily put her arms around Paige and kissed her.

"But in the meantime," Emily said, "I've got you all to myself."

"That sounds good," Paige said, smiling. "I like the sound of that a lot."


End file.
